Ntcham language
{{Short description|Gur language spoken in Togo and Ghana}}
{{distinguish|Bassari language (Senegal)}}
{{Infobox language
|name=Ntcham
|nativename=Basari
|ethnicity=Gurma
|speakers={{sigfig|388,200 |2}}
|date=2004–2013
|ref=e26
|familycolor=Niger-Congo
|fam2=Atlantic–Congo
|fam3=Gur
|fam4=Northern
|fam5=Oti–Volta
|fam6=Gurma
|lc1=bud|ld1=Ntcham
|lc2=aks|ld2=Akaselem
|glotto=ntch1241
|glottorefname=Gurma A
|script=Latin (Basari alphabet)
Basari Braille
}}
Ntcham, or Basari, is a language of the Gurma people in Togo and Ghana. Akaselem (Tchamba) is frequently listed as a separate language.
Phonology
The phonology used by Chanard and Hartell is given below. Abbott and Cox (1966) had a similar phonology, though the non labial-velar voiceless plosives were analyzed as aspirated, and vowel length was not distinguished.{{cite web |first=Christopher |last=Green |first2=Steven |last2=Moran |year=2019 |title=Ntcham sound inventory (GM). |editor-last=Moran |editor-first=Steven |editor-last2=McCloy |editor-first2=Daniel |work=PHOIBLE |version=2.0 |location=Jena |publisher=Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History |url=http://phoible.org/inventories/view/1453 |access-date=2024-09-24}}, citing {{cite book |last=Abbott |first=Mary |last2=Cox |first2=Monica |year=1966 |title=Collected field reports on the phonology of Basari |publisher=University of Ghana}} Badie (1995) analyzes {{IPAslink|t͡ʃ}} and {{IPAslink|d͡ʒ}} as {{IPAslink|c}} and {{IPAslink|ɟ}} and also includes phonemic {{IPAslink|ɱ}}, vowel lengths, and nasalized vowels.{{cite web |first=Christopher |last=Green |first2=Steven |last2=Moran |year=2019 |title=Ntcham sound inventory (GM) |editor-last=Moran |editor-first=Steven |editor-last2=McCloy |editor-first2=Daniel |work=PHOIBLE |version=2.0 |location=Jena |publisher=Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History |url=http://phoible.org/inventories/view/1264 |access-date=2024-09-24}}, citing {{cite thesis |last=Badie |first=Manglibè Joseph |year=1995 |title=Contribution a une etude morphosyntaxique du N'cam |degree=PhD |publisher=University of Paris VII}}
= Consonants =
| class=wikitable style=text-align:center
|editor-last=Moran |editor-first=Steven |editor-last2=McCloy |editor-first2=Daniel |work=PHOIBLE |version=2.0 |location=Jena |publisher=Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History |url=http://phoible.org/inventories/view/672 |access-date=2024-09-24}} ! colspan=2| !! Labial !! Alveolar !! Palatal !! Velar !! Labial- | |
| rowspan=2|Plosive/Affricate | voiceless
| {{IPAlink|p}} || {{IPAlink|t}} || {{IPAlink|tʃ}} || {{IPAlink|k}} || {{IPAlink|kp}} |
|---|---|
| voiced
| {{IPAlink|b}} || {{IPAlink|d}} || {{IPAlink|d͡ʒ}} || {{IPAlink|g}} || {{IPAlink|gb}} | |
| colspan=2|Fricative
| {{IPAlink|f}} || {{IPAlink|s}} || || || | |
| colspan=2|Nasal
| {{IPAlink|m}} || {{IPAlink|n}} || {{IPAlink|ɲ}} || {{IPAlink|ŋ}} || {{IPAlink|ŋm}} | |
| colspan=2|Trill
| || {{IPAlink|r}} || || || | |
| colspan=2|Approximant
| || {{IPAlink|l}} || {{IPAlink|j}} || || {{IPAlink|w}} |
= Vowels =
= Tones =
Writing System
{{unreferenced|section|date=September 2024}}
| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Ntcham Alphabet |
| Majuscules
| A || B || C || D || EE | F || G || GB || I || J | K || KP || L |
|---|
| Minuscules
| a || b || c || d || ee | f || g || gb || i || j | k || kp || l |
| colspan=14 | |
| Majuscules
| M || N || NY || Ŋ || ŊM | OO || Ɔ || P || S || T | U || W || Y |
| Minuscules
| m || n || ny || ŋ || ŋm | oo || ɔ || p || s || t | u || w || y |
Long vowels are indicated by doubling the letter ‹aa, ii, ɔɔ, uu› and two vowels are always long ‹ee, oo›.
The tones are represented by acute accents for high tone and grave accents for low tone, on the vowels and the consonants m, n, b, l : ‹ḿ, ń, b́, ĺ›, ‹m̀, ǹ, b̀, l̀›.
References
{{reflist}}
{{Languages of Ghana}}
{{Languages of Togo}}
{{Gur languages}}
{{gur-lang-stub}}